[spoilers]Commodore is Tokugawa of Zulu, or, playing for second place.

[novice]

Or I'll lose the city when Cyneheard punishes me for high-risk playing.

That sounds like the easiest micromanagement plan to me.

[SevenSpirits]

C. Is way, way weirder. Either by dumping 60 hammers on a lighthosue, or farming the freshwater tundra, I can actually grow from 2 to 4 every 13 turns with a granary, which nets a 50-hammer two-pop whip. Doing this for three cycles has me at 39 turns but with a "gained" happy face the next turn, enabling a 1-pop whip without worrying about the extra unhappy face.

Aha, so the tundra farm is better than a tundra mine in spite of the whip penalty. Not too surprising I guess.

[Commodore]

That sounds like the easiest micromanagement plan to me.

That's the likelihood, but it hasn't happened yet. I opened the turn to Cyneheard offering a white peace, but as he's still sending copper to Ethiopia, we're still at war. Clearly we need to make him nervous about his lack there. Let's get rid of an axe...



And a warrior...turn one of being alive, already the impi makes his mark.



Oh hai, chariot. This is the part where you run away, matey.



I like these little impi fellers. Here's the scene in the core, now much less Grey-threatened. I hope Pingo avoids striking towards Slithy Toves and spotting the axe there, but if they do we're definitely still holding it.



In North Newzululand, we're about to feel a bit safer. Barring a double move Mr. CG2 archer here can be inside Manxome before it gets hit, and then it's only one more turn until the city can whip in a lovely Agg axe.



Now the main threat is Ethiopian galleys. How many shall we see?

[spacetyrantxenu]

Woo hoo, fun times here. Get after those mother lovers, Commodore!

[Commodore]

The simple charcoal sketch on papyrus shows hills and forests, cities and roads, the familiar shapes of the homeland. General Urai shakes his head ever so slightly while looking towards his own home. A bare perceptible shrug later, he waves at the map as a whole.
Honored lurker-sama, fellow generals, here is the state of the war. The Zulu have grown strong, and our power still is rising. Here is our know world.



The small man directs your eyes to the eastern reaches, around the new district of Manxome Foe.
The vile forces of the Lover Emperors have sent only scouts and raiders into our new district thus far, we can however only assume they now mass for a major attack. The city itself is close to coming out of resistance, at with native Manxome axes joining our well-trained archers, we have a solid grasp on the city now.



Another controlled movement, and you are directed to look at the center of the Zulu core, the southern potion of the West Frontier.
There have been several great battles with the Rivalous Empire near the pastureland in the region of Gyre. The main axe battalions are destroyed, but the barbarian tribes are bestirred by Byzantine gold, and we still patrol the eastern banks of the river with care. For all the conflict, plans are still in place to settle a new city in Gyre soon.



A faint rustle now turns your attention to the westernmost part of the border.
Glorious and honorable combat has us now in control of the forests west of the Silvermine Hills. Impi could have crushed the chariots behind their warrior scouts immediately after the first fight, but we have honor, and they will be permitted time to retreat if they wish. Honorable Commo-san will not "double-move" his foes. We do not need to do so!



Your eyes are drawn again and again to the middle of the map, where yellow ranks show a large force massing.
This is the hope of victory, however, not just honorable survival. Four battalions of shock-trained axemen are massing to be loaded onto the fleet. This time, we strike not at the Lover Emperors' flanks, but in a direct invasion we will strike out at the very seat of their power. If you offer sacrifices to the dark seven spirits, ask for disaster to befall the Ethiopian fleet, for upon this great assault we lay all our hopes.



With a bow, Sam Urai turns away.

[SevenSpirits]

That is a most excellent map.

[Commodore]

That is a most excellent map.

Thank you sir, are you still withholding it from the lurkers? If so, I'll try to keep it updated. Ideally, with "Zululand" over the whole mess.

In other news, AIIIIYEEEEEE! We're under attack! With...hopefully more units than that, guys?



Welp, it's going to have to be better than that, because next turn I welcome Manxome into the empire in the TokuZulu way, How does a nice scary axe sound for safeguarding the little burg?



My fleet is still nervously checking for hostile green galleys, but nothing yet can be seen. I'm more or less ceding control of the CL/Conehead strait in return for control of the northern passage.



I would kill to have an extra turn of movement outta these axes, but so it goes. Ships are loading next turn (whenever Pingo play ) and then we're at their capital in two more turns.



Meanwhile, I opted to heal for a turn before taking the plunge into Cyneheard lands. Cutting off the copper is pretty essential here, because Ethiope axes will really turn this war into a grind. If that time comes Cyneheard will be punished.



Tense turns, lads.

[Commodore]

Well that was a hell of a misclick. Did the goto command like a moron, lost the impi attacking across the river into the forest where an axe lay. Meh.



Two more Pingo galleys are 2E of our fleet, now we're standing in the dangerous point. If the fights go poorly, the entire invasion force is kaput.



At least they'll need to be a little more serious to kill Manxome Foe.



Annoying turn, that.

[Commodore]

Okay, as I'm sure Pingo have already reported, the battle at sea went exactly as expected, two green galleys downed, one yellow. Alas, the remaining good guy ship is pretty mauled, while the remaining bad guy vessel owns nary a scratch, plus a promotion.



The only way to attack is to also expose ourselves, but that it worthwhile, particularly now that they know about the copper. So we'll strike at the capital and burn our ships behind us like the sailors of old. See also, shock axe probing down towards Coneheads.



For a 99% odds battle, my axe got seriously damaged by the top Pingo spear, down to a pitiful 30hp remaining. If the spear sticks around I can promoted and take another shot with the shock chariot able to clean up, but I expect them to retreat.



Looks like a long and grinding war. Damn Cyneheard's meddling away, this is going to be taken out of his cowardly hide.
The vile and dishonorable Cyneheard thinks he is fighting for free. Commo-san, you are right...he will regret this.

[Commodore]

So, clever urbane Rego and Pin thought to trap me, placing their ship where I cannot escape, while flashing their axe to show they are prepared at their capital. Move along, stupid Zulu, attack Coneheads and then die a slow death. Two axes won't take that city, eh?



rrg. RRRGH. I'LL TAKE YOU ALL ON, FOR DEATH AND GLORY!



Yeah, that's a good result. Landing the two axes shows Church Lady in all her splendor. Archer and warrior there, probably they'll want to upgrade the war to an axe. That would shut down this little invasion, eh?



Well. Let's go all in. Garrisons are for the weak. Force Manxome foe is rolling out.



How's this for aggression? I'm sending a couple chariots to assist the Conehead-bound axe, too. It may end in tears, but it will not end in a whimper.



And because I'm not really doing enough right now with a two-front war, here's a settle bound for Gyre and corn. More grist for the mill, eh what?



Apparently, Yuri's scout got popped, but sadly he declared peace. Others are growing and waxing strong right now, but that's not for us. We're in this fight until it's over.



To. The. Death.